The Good-Luck Dragon
by Kristen3
Summary: In front of company, David's innocent questions lead his parents to recall a painful time in their relationship, and the good that has come from overcoming it. One-shot.


Niles couldn't help feeling excited. After David's birth, and Frasier's move to Chicago, he hadn't had as much time to devote to wine-club activities as he once had. But now that David was five, and far less needy than he'd been as a toddler, it was now time to reintroduce himself to one of his favorite things.

To that end, he and Daphne had invited another couple from the club over for dinner. Since it was a smaller party, Niles hoped it would avoid many of the disasters which had occurred at other parties through the years.

The doorbell rang, and Niles went right over to answer it. The Robertsons were right on time. He kissed Mrs. Robertson on the cheek and shook her husband's hand. After a bit of small talk, Niles felt himself relax. This evening would be perfect.

But then a small voice from the stairs made Niles' heart stop. "Daddy?"

Daphne looked at her husband nervously. There stood David, in his little footy pajamas, at the top of the stairs. She was about to walk over to her son and return him to bed. Niles touched her hand gently. "I've got this," he whispered.

Niles walked over to where his son stood. "David, you know you're supposed to be in bed." He hoped the tone of his voice would convey his seriousness. He couldn't yell in front of company, but he also wanted David to know this was unacceptable.

"I couldn't sleep," David replied. "Who are these people?"

"These are our friends from the wine club. They're here for a party." Niles hoped that, once his question was answered, David would go back to his room.

"Can I show them my room?" David's question took both of his parents by surprise.

"Uh..." Niles said, unsure how to answer.

"What a delightful little boy," Mrs. Robertson said. "Our son is a teenager now. How I miss the days when he was this age."

"Well, thank you," Niles replied. "But I'm afraid it's past David's bedtime."

"Yes, but this isn't a school night," Mr. Robertson said. "Perhaps your son could give us a tour of this house. I've heard that you're quite a collector of antiques."

"All right," Daphne said. "David, would you like to show our guests around?"

David nodded enthusiastically. He quickly came down the stairs. "This is our living room," he said when he'd reached the bottom. "Daddy calls that his fainting couch. But it doesn't look like it's fainting."

The adults smiled, obviously charmed by the this little boy. "That's the kitchen," David said, pointing at the door. "That's where Mommy cooks, but not too often. Daddy likes to eat out."

Daphne blushed. "I'm afraid I'm not much of a cook."

"But not to worry," Niles quickly added. "My wife has made us an exquisite meal tonight."

"Where are your antiques?" Mr. Robertson asked. "It doesn't look like they're in here. Don't tell me you've got them all hidden in storage."

"Darling, maybe they'd like to see your study," Daphne said, knowing he had been very careful in decorating that room, because he spent so much time in there.

"All right. David, would you like to lead the way?"

David nodded. He liked being the center of attention. He walked down the hall, where he was rarely allowed to go.

"Oh," Mrs. Robertson said when they arrived. "You've done a marvelous job with this room, Dr. Crane."

"Thank you," Niles said, blushing.

"Yes, you've got a lot of nice things here," Mr. Robertson agreed. "But where did you ever get this piece?" He pointed to the corner of Niles' desk, on which sat a statue of a dragon.

"My dad says that's his good luck charm," David piped up.

"A good luck charm?" Mrs. Robertson asked. "I don't believe I've ever heard of a good-luck dragon before."

"Well, there's a story behind that little statue," Niles said. "It was before Daphne became my wife. I'd been in love with her for years, but never had a chance to say so. One night, to my horror, I watched her accept a proposal from another man."

Daphne silently slipped her hand into Niles'. She knew all too well how painful these memories were for him, even so many years later.

"A year later, on the eve of her wedding, I finally got up the courage to reveal my feelings to Daphne. She rejected me, and I thought I'd lost her forever. But the next day, she ran off with me, calling off the wedding."

"That's a very touching story, Dr. Crane," Mrs. Robertson said. "But what does it have to do with the dragon?"

"Well, the night Daphne accepted the proposal, a friend of ours gave me this dragon. I didn't like it at all."

Daphne smiled. This was her favorite part of the story. "I know it seems a bit odd, but I've always thought I was a bit psychic."

Niles chuckled. "Yes. And I've always found it to be charming."

Daphne kissed his cheek. "Well, right after I said yes to Donny's proposal, I had one of me visions. I saw me true love standing there, next to a dragon."

Niles nodded. "But I didn't find out about Daphne's vision until after we were married. I decided I liked the dragon a lot more after that." He laughed lightly. "I put it in here to remind me that, no matter how bad things look, they can always turn around."

"Oh," said Mrs. Robertson, obviously touched by the story. "That's so beautiful. Almost like a movie."

"Well, I don't know about _that_ ," Niles said. "But I've always felt I got a happy ending." He put an arm around Daphne and nodded toward where David was standing.

"Daddy, I'm tired," David said, yawning. "I think I wanna go back to bed now."

"That's all right, David," Daphne said, walking over to him. "I'll take you up and tuck you in."

"No, my love, I'll take David upstairs. You can serve that wonderful meal to our guests in the meantime." Niles took his son's hand, and the five of them walked back out of the study. Daphne instructed the Robertsons to sit at the dining table, while she made her way into the kitchen.

Niles walked David back up the stairs and into his room. David quickly jumped into bed, and Niles pulled the covers up. "Daddy, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, son. But make it fast, because I have to go downstairs to our guests."

"Is that story about the dragon true?" Niles nodded. "And that's why you say it's good luck?"

"Yes. To me, it's proof that your mother and I were meant to be together."

David took a moment to consider this. Them he nodded, deciding he agreed. "So, am I really part of your happy ending?"

Niles bent down to kiss his son's forehead. "Oh, David," he whispered. "You're the _best_ part." He made his way to the door and turned out the light. "Good night. I love you." He looked behind him, happy to see that David was apparently fast asleep.

As he made his way back downstairs, Niles thought about that dragon. He hadn't given much thought to the story behind it in years. But it reminded him of one simple fact: he was beyond grateful for the way things had turned out.

 **The End**


End file.
